Why you shouldn't get a Blackberry

Dolby

Dolby

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So last night and this morning I started checking out a few things (bills ,data tests) on my BB Torch after initially liking the both the handset and unlimited data, I've decided that it's no longer the route to go.

Firstly there's speed of the service : I tested this morning using 'standard' Vodacom 3G on my iPad and BIS on my BB Torch at Porsche Center, Paulshof. The 'standard' on the iPad got a ping of less than 60ms, a download of 3.6mbps and an upload of 2.3mbps The BB achieved a ping of over 1000ms and a download of 80kbps. The upload timed out. In other words once the BB has actually got through to a site (it pings out 80% of the time), it is still 40x slower than a standard phone ....

Cost wise, I checked all my bills for the last month and noticed I paid R190.00pa extra data charges, in addition to the R720.00pa 'unlimited' BIS. The total of these charges averaged out is about R75.00pm in data. I'd rather put in slightly more and get a smartphone with a MyMeg250 bundle. With the bundle your phone is 40x as quick as a BB as it's usable.

I've got a second BB Bold that is generally off (albeit, it does have a BB contract) and I fired that up in January to check speeds. I decided to back to that account and ... R12.00 charged! The charges are so small that one doesn't really pick up the costs - but they're there

Email delivery is 15-20 minutes per message and BBM is 10-15 seconds. While this may not sound much, it's a huge increase compared to the 1-2 minutes per mail and few seconds only a year back.

* test using Vodacom network only
 
Well the problem is the VC network.

Regretting staying with them so much... just upgraded and I should have moved over to another provider.

I pay R400pm for my 9900 on vodacom, that comes with BIS and 100 free minutes.

On 8ta the same phone is R340, you get 100 8ta mins, 20 anytime mins and free calls to any one land line, 50 free sms's a month and some youtube data.
Not only that but their network is way faster (I use 8ta 3g at home) and now I have no VC signal at my house :/

Currently I pay R430 because of sms's and random data charges... and I have about 5 million free minutes because I don't actually call that much.
 
Speed aside - have you ever checked data costs that are extra? There's not a single month that I haven't been charged extra ...

I noticed 30-50 of SMSing too - but I'm sure I did it. I'll keep tabs this month
 
We've always known BBs to be crap. Get a decent phone already.
 
Title should be , "why you shouldn't get a BB on Vodacom." Bad service, slow speeds, service book restrictions .....
 
Qwikslver said:
We've always known BBs to be crap. Get a decent phone already.
Click to expand...

That's not really fair

They worked many years before and a number of iPhone and Android users still prefer the mail on a Blackberry. We may not have all the junk you have like shaking flowers, singing cats and your other juvenile gadgets you have - but the phone isn't terrible.
 
Before Andriod and Apple there was nothing close to BB.

Now I still stick with BB because of Data... but I'm still getting charged extra !!!
 
8ta currently have a special on the 9900 for R298

500 minutes 8ta to8ta or landline numbers
200 minutes other mobile numbers
50MB data
BIS

Seems it was only available until end of Feb, currently R298 without free minutes.
This company seriously needs a wakeup call when it comes to phone packages
 
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sky101 said:
Im moving to MTN tomorrow, I cant stand Vodacoms slow BIS!
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It's so bad. Most time web pages won't even open for me.
The other day it took me 40 minutes just to log into my email. Then another 20+ minutes to open an email (I was in a lecture and I really needed to see if I got a reply for a query I made so I knew what action to take etc.).

Not cool.

OH and my friend has the same phone just on MTN and he was browsing Facebook, loading and downloading photos etc. while I sat there getting connection errors and slowness.
 
Rudi_C said:
I have a Torch 9810 on MTN and my dl speed is normally around 1mbps, not too sure about uploads and pings.
Click to expand...

Wow!

At 1mpbs I'd keep it - even they charge me R20.00 a month extra data.

So yea, the heading sure be 'Why you shouldn't get Vodacom Blackberry' :/
 
I was speaking to a friend last week with a 9360 and apparently speeds are back way up with vodacom. he's works for them and apparently the sudden speed boost is cuz cellc's has been given the boot. Kicked off vodas BIS network, never saw ny articles reporting that, but i saw he's download speeds so somethings changed.

That and the 20 odd towers they errecting and upgrading each week.

Personaly loved the 3 berries I owned, and i swtched over before the speeds got bad, hey I RIM manages to release a phone that can compete the the freedom of choice and at least some of the flexibility you can get with other smartphones, then I would consider going back, if they have not gone bankrupt yet seeing as this is thier 5th consecutive loss quarter. Thier bb10 handsets are said to be thier last chance, if its not a success then the company wont be in a position financially to carry on.

They dont have the "dumb" phone market like nokia has to use as a safety net and they loosing thier government and corperate contracts to google business manager (online software like google bussiness apps with RIM like security features), combined with secure vpns and then androids/iphones.

They make good phones and developing markets like ours need them so I hope they survive, but they spent too much time riding thier egos believing they are the alphas and omegas and woke up too late to realize the market is passing them by. Does not look good for the future of RIM and network problems and ruducing data costs dont help, Jokes like MTN's smartphone offers however do.

Beamed from my Nexus S running ICS using Tapatalk
 
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There is nothing wrong with Blackberry, except for those of you who always want MORE (above and beyond!)

For the average joe, the BB is a brilliant phone.
 
All these mysterious extra little data charges are really beginning to piss me off. Sure it's only 2-3c at a time but multiply that by the millions of vodacom BB users that are at risk and that's a nice little money making scheme for the operator.

Of course if you're a vodacom prepaid user and want a statement to check then you have to fork out for that as well.
 
sky101 said:
Im moving to MTN tomorrow, I cant stand Vodacoms slow BIS!
Click to expand...

Me as well, moving over soon.

CranialBlaze said:
I was speaking to a friend last week with a 9360 and apparently speeds are back way up with vodacom.
Click to expand...

Exact opposite for me.

gdiza said:
There is nothing wrong with Blackberry, except for those of you who always want MORE (above and beyond!)
Click to expand...

Most days I have no internet access, no BBM and no whatsapp. If that's wanting more then maybe pipe down when people are actually having problems.
 
But Randhir, is that limited to maybe not 'reception' / 'signal' related?

I know in some areas of Western Cape, I have no Vodacom reception or struggle to make calls, where others can (MTN, 8ta, Cell C etc) but then we get locations where I can make calls and they can't... get what I'm saying?

Like the other day I was at Metro Control (where they dispatch ambulances) and I couldn't make any calls (Vodacom) but people around me could.
Then when I went to Tygerberg hospital, say, 200M away, I could make calls but a lady on MTN couldn't (1 bar signal)

It's just hot spots... you can't actually blame BB for that!
 
gdiza said:
But Randhir, is that limited to maybe not 'reception' / 'signal' related?

I know in some areas of Western Cape, I have no Vodacom reception or struggle to make calls, where others can (MTN, 8ta, Cell C etc) but then we get locations where I can make calls and they can't... get what I'm saying?

Like the other day I was at Metro Control (where they dispatch ambulances) and I couldn't make any calls (Vodacom) but people around me could.
Then when I went to Tygerberg hospital, say, 200M away, I could make calls but a lady on MTN couldn't (1 bar signal)

It's just hot spots... you can't actually blame BB for that!
Click to expand...

It's all around Durban, and I'm getting nothing from Vodacom except the usual "sorry to hear, will look into it' BS.
 
9900 is super crap... My wife had 1, well 4 cos each time it stopped working. After 4 months of non stop probs with bb she got a iphone 4 s
 
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